North Colombia town cancels iconic ‘Corralejas’ bull fights

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Sincelejo, a town in northern Colombia where the tradition of “Corralejas” popular bull fighting started in 1845, announced Monday that there will be no bull fights during its annual festival in January.

Sincelejo Mayor Jairo Fernandez, while clarifying that there would still be festivities taking place on that day, said the popular bull fights were canceled due to security concerns.

Fernandez assured that the bull fights would return in 2015 after these security conditions had been addressed.

This is the second time that the bull fights have been cancelled in Sincelejo after the event was shut down for a decade following the 1980 collapse of a wooden stadium that led to 100 deaths.

The Corralejas are a traditional rural festival that takes place every year throughout northern Colombia. At the events, thousands of spectators watch as open-entry participants attempt to outrun serious injury and death brought on the horns of rampaging bulls. The participant confuse and derange the bulls by waving flags and piercing the animal’s back with spears.